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Morning headlines brought to you by Carolyn Kay MakeThemAccountable.com Top StoryKarl Rove to resign at end of month
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Top White House political adviser Karl Rove, who masterminded President George W. Bush's political campaigns in 2000 and 2004, said in an interview published Monday that he will resign at the end of this month.
Time to help another Republican lie, cheat, and steal his way into office.—Caro Humor Ink
The WorldIraq PM calls summit to save unity government
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Sunday called upon senior leaders in Iraq's bitterly divided communities to hold crisis talks this week in an effort to save his fraying national unity government.
US 'surge' in Iraq 'likely to fail': British lawmakers
The US "surge" of troops in Iraq is likely to fail, a British parliamentary committee said Monday as it delivered a critical report on London's foreign policy in the Middle East.
5 American soldiers killed near Baghdad
BAGHDAD - Five American soldiers were killed south of Baghdad, including four in a single roadside bombing, the military said Sunday.
Fatigue cripples US army in Iraq
Exhaustion and combat stress are besieging US troops in Iraq as they battle with a new type of warfare. Some even rely on Red Bull to get through the day. As desertions and absences increase, the military is struggling to cope with the crisis
Iraq contractors avoid legal restraints
(Private contractors in Iraq) operate with little or no supervision, accountable only to the firms employing them. And as the country has plummeted toward anarchy and civil war, this private army has been accused of indiscriminately firing at American and Iraqi troops, and of shooting to death an unknown number of Iraqi citizens who got too close to their heavily armed convoys. Not one has faced charges or prosecution.
29 dead in Afghanistan fighting
KABUL (AFP) - A wave of Taliban attacks across Afghanistan killed 29 people, including four international soldiers and nearly two dozen militants, military officials said.
Pakistan, Afghanistan agree on fighting militants
KABUL (Reuters) - The presidents of Pakistan and Afghanistan pledged on Sunday to work together to combat the common security threat of Taliban and al Qaeda militants.
Australian PM writes to Iraqi leader, demands progress
SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Saturday he had written to his Iraqi counterpart Nuri al-Maliki to demand more progress in stabilising the country and distributing wealth generated by oil.
And especially that oil part. Got it, Nuri?—Caro
Canada announces Arctic base, port
TORONTO - Canada's prime minister announced plans Friday for an army training center and a deepwater port on the third day of an Arctic trip meant to assert sovereignty over a region, while Denmark said it was staking its own claim with a scientific expedition.
Zimbabwe President Mugabe Signs State Eavesdropping Law
Communications Minister Christopher Mushowe said Zimbabwe is not unique in the world in passing such legislation, citing electronic eavesdropping programs in the United States, the United Kingdom and South Africa, among other countries. (Emphasis added.) The NationReported Drop in Surveillance Spurred a Law
(A report that) American eavesdroppers were collecting just 25 percent of the foreign-based communications they had been receiving a few months earlier… helped set off a furious legislative rush last week that, improbably, broadened the administration’s authority to wiretap terrorism suspects without court oversight… For the White House and its Republican allies, the decision by the Democratic-controlled Congress to act quickly was critical to safeguarding the country this summer as intelligence officials spoke of increasing “chatter” among Qaeda suspects.
So, uh, how does a 75% drop in communications result in INCREASED “chatter”? The Democrats haven’t learned a damn thing in seven years.—Caro
Why the new FISA bill is even worse than you think
(G)iven the way FISA is (now) structured, the President is under no obligation to follow even (the) watered-down oversight requirements. They are merely optional.
How the ‘Good War’ in Afghanistan Went Bad
Since the 2001 war, American intelligence agencies had reported that the Taliban were so decimated they no longer posed a threat… (T)he top C.I.A. specialists and elite Special Forces units who had helped liberate Afghanistan had long since moved on to the next war, in Iraq. Those sweeping miscalculations were part of a pattern of assessments and decisions that helped send what many in the American military call “the good war” off course.
Is America turning left? (The Economist)
Having recaptured Congress last year, the Democrats are on course to retake the presidency in 2008… During (Bush’s) presidency, the words Katrina, Rumsfeld, Abramoff, Guantánamo and Libby have become shorthand for incompetence, cronyism or extremism… Yet this President Bush is not a good scapegoat. Rather than betraying the right, he has given it virtually everything it craved.
America never stopped being progressive. Somebody needs to tell the Democrats.—Caro
How to Sense Impending Doom
New technologies such as wireless sensors help monitor bridges, but experts who can analyze the results are in short supply
The lack of experts stems from the same no-tax, no-common-effort mentality that caused the recent bridge collapse.—Caro
US slipping in life expectancy rankings
Americans are living longer than ever, but not as long as people in 41 other countries… "Something's wrong here when one of the richest countries in the world, the one that spends the most on health care, is not able to keep up with other countries," said Dr. Christopher Murray, head of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.
France's model healthcare system
(French d)octors only agreed to participate in compulsory health insurance if the law protected a patient's choice of practitioner and guaranteed physicians' control over medical decision-making. Given their current frustrations, America's doctors might finally be convinced to throw their support behind universal health insurance if it protected their professional judgment and created a sane system of billing and reimbursement.
RNC Audit Letter
Our records show that you registered as a member of our Party in (______) County. But a recent audit of your Party affiliation turned up some irregularities."… I am writing to find out where you stand. For example, we have no record of your support for President George W. Bush. In fact, we have no record of your support for a Republican Presidential candidate going back to President Ronald W. Reagan! And despite several requests, you have never made a dues payment to the Republican National Committee (not even a partial payment).
Treating Republicans like naughty children makes them more likely to contribute? Just the fact that the RNC thinks so tells us a lot.—Caro MediaPermanent link to MTA daily media news
http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2007/08/09/media-policy-becomes-a-presidential-campaign-issue/">Media Policy Becomes A Presidential Campaign Issue
Presidential candidates are pushing media reform into the public spotlight and onto the campaign trail with recent statements calling for a more open and democratic media system.
Right-Wing Media Give Favorable Platform To ‘Another 9/11′ Columnist
In his Thursday column, Philadelphia Daily News scribe Stu Bykofsky seemingly wished for the tragic death of 3000+ Americans when he wrote that “another 9/11 would help America.” A host of right-wing media outlets provided Bykofsky a national platform yesterday that largely served to give credence to the columnist’s ghoulish suggestion.
It was the ghoulish wish for a “new Pearl Harbor” that likely played some part in the first 9/11, if only being the reason why the Bush administration ignored so many credible warnings that we were about to be attacked. And need I mention that right wingers are always accusing anyone who disagrees with them of wanting bad things to happen?—Caro
CNBC’s Erin Burnett: We Need China’s Toxic Food And Lead Coated Toys To Keep Economy Strong
On Friday’s “Hardball” CNBC’s Erin Burnett spoke with Chris Matthews about the current instability in the U.S. economy and Burnett had these choice words to say about China: “… (I)f China were to revalue it’s currency or China is to start making say, toys that don’t have lead in them or food that isn’t poisonous, their costs of production are going to go up and that means prices at Wal-Mart here in the United States are going to go up too. So, I would say China is our greatest friend right now, they’re keeping prices low and they’re keeping the prices for mortgages low, too.”
Matthews to CNBC's Burnett: "You're a knockout"; "It's all right getting bad news from you"
On Hardball, Chris Matthews told CNBC anchor Erin Burnett: "(Y)ou're beautiful" and "(y)ou're a knockout," before closing their interview by saying, "It's all right getting bad news from you."
David Broder: "Free-Trade" Enforcer
The free-traders are absolutely fine with the protectionist barriers which keep up the wages of highly paid professionals… (They) like pharmaceutical companies and software tycoons more than they like textile workers and autoworkers, so they denounce the opponents of protectionism for their products as "protectionist."
When candidates look dumb, they blame the press
Why did Chelsea Clinton attend an exclusive private school during the Clinton administration? It was the media's fault. What about Mitt Romney's strange treatment of the family dog? No, the media got it wrong. Barack Obama frolicking in the surf? There they go again. The media are obsessed with his bod, not his giant Ivy League brain.
Hamas, Fatah use TV in power struggle
RAMALLAH, West Bank - First, Hamas militiamen were filmed beating guests at a bachelor party. Then, the deposed Hamas prime minister claimed Fatah forces had tortured a Hamas activist to death, only to have the prisoner, very much alive, presented in a TV broadcast.
http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2007/08/09/brazil-the-philosopher-the-media-and-the-blogs/">Brazil: The Philosopher, The Media, And The Blogs
In a country where open TV networks owned by politicians widely ruled the media environment for the last 30 years, some new polls on web access are revealing pronounced leaps in the number of Internet users.
Paid Content on the Net? Not if the Content's News
CNN, Economist Take Down Walls Online; WSJ and NYT Could Be Next
A Variation on the DVR, Without Ad Skipping
Time Warner Cable is about to offer its customers a free recording feature for their televisions — one that will not allow them to zap through the commercials. Technology & ScienceToll records catch unfaithful spouses
Adulterers, beware: Your cheatin' heart might be exposed by E-ZPass.
China Enacting a High-Tech Plan to Track People
Security experts describe China’s plans as the world’s largest effort to meld the latest computer technology with police work.
Web Sites Serve Up Dangerous Eating Disorders Advice
Parents often fail to recognize children's use of harmful venues for weight-loss tips.
Obesity-Linked Woes Boost Kids' Lifetime Heart Risk
'Metabolic syndrome' includes higher blood pressure, cholesterol
Space shuttle damage appears minor: NASA
HOUSTON (Reuters) - A small gouge in space shuttle Endeavour's heat shield appears to be a minor problem and is unlikely to require repair, NASA said on Saturday after studying the three-inch gash on the ship's belly.
Greatest Mysteries: What Causes Gravity?
In the deepest depths of space, gravity tugs on matter to form galaxies, stars, black holes and the like. In spite of its infinite reach, however, gravity is the wimpiest of all forces in the universe. This weakness also makes it the most mysterious, as scientists can't measure it in the laboratory as easily as they can detect its effects on planets and stars. EnvironmentWeather Service Raises La Nina Probability
The U.S. National Weather Service on Thursday predicted slightly increased chances of greater than 50 percent that the La Nina phenomenon would develop during the next couple of months.
Brazil Says Amazon Deforestation Down
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) - Destruction of the Amazon rainforest dropped by nearly a third during the last year, reaching the lowest rate since Brazil's space research agency began keeping track in 1988, according to preliminary figures released Friday.
After oil and gas, Sahara sunshine?
ALGIERS, Algeria - It's a vision that has long enticed energy planners: solar panels stretching out over vast swaths of the Sahara desert, soaking up sun to generate clean, green power.
Bank Puts Air Conditioning Costs On Ice
In the basement of investment bank Credit Suisse, an old-fashioned idea is breathing new life into air conditioning. Giant blocks of ice keep the Manhattan skyscraper cool and save the company about $1 million a year. For more headlines, visit MakeThemAccountable.com. |
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